For two and a half years, Stuttgart, Germany-based Philipp Elhaus hired multiple freelancers for his company’s first product -- BulkZip File Compressor. The tool was initially intended for in-house use by his employees but after the first version (called xRar) was publicly released and well-received, Philipp and his team decided to expand it to give it a more professional touch.

“The basic xRar software was made by an Australian developer from Freelancer.com in 2013. When we decided to improve the software, I returned to Freelancer to find the best developer suited for the job,” said Philipp.

His project received plenty of great bids from freelancers, but one of them stood out -- Kalpesh Chhatrala (kalpesh2804). “Kalpesh is a dedicated C# coder from India who has worked on numerous projects on the site. I assigned the first draft of the newly-planned BulkZip, and he completed it on time and with solid quality,” Philipp said.

Impressed by the work, Philipp continued to work with Kalpesh to further advance the software by adding plenty of functionality and features. After multiple milestones with Kalpesh, BulkZip reached Version 7, which is the official commercial product (downloadable here). “Working with Kalpesh was very fruitful. Our communication was quick and all problems encountered were solved immediately.”

“I’ve always liked working with Freelancer.com. As an employer, you get quick offers from skilled workers. The affordable rates and decent project fees made Freelancer.com a perfect choice for us. It saved us time and effort compared to hiring locally here in Germany, which usually requires a lot of paperwork and obligations.”

As a frequent employer on Freelancer, Philipp shared a few tips to ensure a smooth workflow.

Keep communication simple: The simpler and tailored you describe what you want, the more likely your employee will be able to fulfill the task.

Use the Freelancer.com project options: If pressed for time, don’t hesitate to buy the “Featured” or “Urgent” upgrade. It’s worth the small fee and will get your project exposed, not only faster, but also to a wider audience.

Contact Freelancer.com’s Support: When you encounter problems, don’t hesitate to email support@freelancer.com. They do their best to rule out problems and mediate between parties.

Deposit a Full Milestone: Trust and security are very important to freelancers. I noticed that freelancers work way better and are more dedicated when they feel confident and secure. Only release milestones when you’re 100 percent happy with the work. I highly advise against releasing money for any work that you are not 100 percent satisfied in. Getting back the money you released is a long and difficult process so make sure you are happy before you pay.

Philipp has posted more than a hundred projects and he is still going. "Freelancer.com is a good alternative if you seek quick and efficient workers. I have always been satisfied with the quality of work." He has shared the platform with colleagues and learned that a couple of teams in his company took his advice and is now regularly hiring freelancers for quick jobs. "Freelancer.com is definitely a great resource," he said.